Chair, Minister and Deputy Minister, hon members, my colleagues, ladies and gentleman, it is an honour for me to be part of the debate on the Budget Vote of Human Settlements, which was presented by the hon Minister, Mr Tokyo Sexwale. The presentation and debate come after long consultation between the national, provincial and local government on how best to address the challenges of housing the nation.
Based on a common approach, we now have a detailed programme of delivery, which is an indication that government at all levels is committed to changing people's lives for the better. Because we subscribe to and believe in the principles of participatory democracy, through our consultation with the people we know what the concerns are and what processes are needed to deal with such challenges.
Since 1994 the ANC-led government has gained a lot of experience to intensify the housing programme. We have been able to demonstrate beyond any doubt that we have accumulated a lot of experience. To demonstrate that we are no longer just talking but indeed working, last year we in Gauteng highlighted that we would continue to do work on our various big mixed- housing projects for Human Settlements.
It pleases me to report that we have now concluded Cosmo City, Olievenhoutbosch extension 36 and many other big projects. We can confidently demonstrate that our policy on human settlements is living up to its objectives. We now have residential areas that are multiracial, with mixed-income groups. All residents now have access to amenities like schools, clinics, libraries, shopping complexes, etc, within their vicinity.
We have now identified more areas that will benefit from such projects and increased them to 26 in total. Out of this total number, 17 projects are in the planning phase and nine are under implementation and in various stages of development. Indeed, in Gauteng, "kuyasheshwa" [we work fast].
The affordable rental housing programme is one of the initiatives in the eradication of housing backlogs through the provision of rental housing for low-income earners who cannot be accommodated in the formal private rental market. With regard to increasing the rate of affordable rental housing development, the department will provide rental units ... [Interjections.]